As Apshawa Preserve in Passaic County struggles to thrive, some N.J. students work to save forest

By Abram Brown/The Star-Ledger

WEST MILFORD - About 40 high school students followed trails deep into Passaic County's Apshawa Preserve in an effort to save the forest.

With the help of a guide, they examined ground-level vegetation to see if the forced absence of deer would give the depleted woods a chance to thrive again. They looked at small ferns, and saplings just starting to grow leafy limbs. The heights of the plants looked good - just what they should have been after a year without deer.

But the future is a different matter. ... continue reading

A student from the Student Conservation Association conducts a field survey of vegetation in the Apshawa Preserve in West Milford.